How well do they travel?

[MikeMooch]

Hello everyone. My wife & I will be taking our baby home in the next week or two. She works from home a few days a week & is off on weekends so the bird will have lots of attention. On the days that the house would be empty during the day would a caique rather be home in their cage or accompany me to work? I know they would always prefer to be with us than alone but what about the car rides? Would that be stressful to them? While i'm at it, are they stressed when outdoors? We live by the water & do a lot of shore walks in the summer. It would be fun to bring him along.

 

[Owlet]

If you plan on taking them outdoors, either harness train them or invest in a good, durable carrier like the pak-o-bird. Even clipped birds can be taken by the wind and lost. But taking them on walks outdoors when its warm would be very good for them. But do NOT talk a bird outside without harness or carrier unless you have spent the time recall training them and training them to avoid dangers and etc. That can take a long time depending on the bird and it's still a large risk.

Can I ask what your job is? Some environments might not be good for the bird. Also good to respect your co-workers and such.

 

[MikeMooch]

I just ordered a harness. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on doing this immediately. Once he's acclimated to us & his new home then i'd like to start taking him along. I run a flooring business in a retail store. I don't have to worry about co workers as I run the business myself. Most of my day is at my desk. I know he won't sit on a perch all day & the more he's out the less work i'll get done. But if he's going to be caged, at least he'll be with me.

 

[Owlet]

Do you use any chemicals or scented product within the store? What about cleaning supplies? I assume you've done your research about parrot respiratory systems and how candles, chemicals, and general all around scented things are a no in the home, all of that would apply to the store also.

How long is the drive? If its 15-30 minutes they should be fine but if it's longer probably not the best to do it frequently.

 

[MikeMooch]

No chemicals. It's just a showroom full of carpet & flooring samples. The drive is 15 minutes without traffic, 30-40 minutes with traffic.

 

[ChristaNL]

Hmmm, even carpetsamples contain chemicals (that lovely new car/ new floor smell) but I really like the idea of letting your bird-to-be join you at work
(prepare to get almost nothing done - you will probably place a cage as well as a playstand there, just to be able to walk away once in a while and still have functioning phone, computer etc. when you return ( sharp and fast beaks love the rubber coatings, pry loose keys etc etc.)

 

[Jen5200]

My advice would be to try out different things slowly and see how your bird likes it. Try to make them short, positive experiences and then repeat them. I will say that how much a bird likes to be outside and in the car will very much depend on your individual bird. I have 5 birds and had grand plans to take them all kinds of places, have travel carriers and backpacks and all that good stuff. Bindi loves car rides, has an absolute blast outside in a carrier. Tango and Baby are okay with car rides and okay going outside but don’t really enjoy it. Screamer tolerates the car and HATES being outside “for fun”. Stanley seems to enjoy outside but gets carsick every time I take him in the car. All that to say.... take it slow, make it positive, be careful what you expose them to - and take your cues about what will work best from your bird . Mine are all required to learn how to ride in a carrier so that we can take care of the necessities....but I don’t force them to ride around with me if after a few tries I can see that it is not enjoyable for them or is overly stressful.

 

[bill_e]

OK, so I don't know if this advise is good for a baby bird since I never had one...I'm sure I'll get corrected if the advise is bad

My advise would be to let the bird get used to being alone a couple of days a week. If you raise him with constant contact you'll create a velrco bird who will be miserable when you're not around. He needs to learn how to entertain himself.

Give him plenty to keep him busy in his cage.

 

[mrs.pants]

Caiques are a little different than other parrots in that they are content to be AROUND you, meaning you dont have to be interacting with them 24/7 to be spending time with them. Theyve been described as cat-like in the sense that they are very happy just in your presence but dont always want or need your interaction. The key is making sure their enclosure has lots of toys to shred and destroy, perches to climb, wooden ladders are great fun! Mine will spend hours in and around his cage playing or eating or taking a bath, even when his cage door is open and he can go wherever. Hell come to me for a bit, then decide "nah, imma go swing and eat" and do that and then preen forever. Ive never had trouble getting work done at home (except that im almost always talking to him or singing with him or make excuses to stop what im doing to give him a scritch lol). As long as you take time to play with him and give him lots of stimulating things to do your buddy should be fine :3

edit: def agree with bill e as well on the velcro thing! find a good balance for yourselves :3

As for car rides, ours hasnt seemed to care at all from day 1. But we always keep him in an enclosed carrier so the most he does is flock call. But Ive seen people who get their caiques accustomed to travel with positive reinforcement and they seem to enjoy getting out. they are insatiable curious most of the time! def never have him off a harness or if he has no harness, keep him in a carrier of some kind for safety reasons. harness training can take quite a while though! go slow and be patient :3

and yeah like others said Id just be worried about strong odors or cleaners. i mean even the smell of burnt food can make them sick scented candles too, things you wouldn't expect, can do them harm. so def look into that as thoroughly as you can!

every bird will be different tho. take the time to get to know your guy and never rush them :3